Top 10 - January 30, 2024 | View From The Top

1. Buying at All-Time Highs

@Callum Thomas (Weekly S&P500 #ChartStorm) Buy the All-Time High: Or BTFATH as some call it — historically, there is a slight performance edge in buying on days the market reached an all-time high.

Source: @PeterMallouk via The Chart Report

2. History of a Negative First 5 Days for Small Cap

From Dave Lutz at Jones Trading Negative returns during the Santa Claus Rally and first 5 days of the yr, but a higher Jan? That will likely be ’24 and I was really surprised how rare this combo is historically. The good news is full yr up nearly 20% on avg and higher all three times, Ryan

5. Top 13 Stocks 70% of Returns 2024

Netflix Documentary Yogi’s stats were off charts and10 world series rings https://www.netflix.com/title/81712015

From Zach Goldberg Jefferies Narrow… The top 13 stocks have driven the whole of the S&P’s YTD upside with the top five contributing ~70%.

6. China Stock Exchange Fat Line

Marketwatch By Jamie Chisholm

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/this-market-is-a-bear-trap-and-so-heres-what-to-buy-strategist-says-7914fe5c?mod=home-page

7. China Heavy Stimulus Packages and Shutting Down Short Selling……KWEB Still Sideways

KWEB Chinese Internet ETF Nowhere 2 Years

8. Checking-In on 60/40 Chart

60/40 50 week thru 200 week to upside …See if it breaks to new highs in 2024

9. EV’s Increasingly Leased Except Tesla

WSJ By Stephen Wilmot

https://www.wsj.com/business/autos/why-it-makes-sense-for-new-ev-drivers-to-look-beyond-tesla-44a78425

10. Research shows that reduced blood flow is the #1 brain-imaging predictor that a person will develop Alzheimer’s disease. Amen Clinic

Do you find yourself forgetting your keys? Spacing out on why you walked into a room? Losing your train of thought mid-sentence? If you answered yes to any of these questions and you’re also a couch potato, there is one important strategy that could put you on the path to improved recall.

The secret to a better memory? Moving more. Aerobic exercise provides greater blood flow to your brain, especially to the hippocampus, a region that’s crucial to memory. A 2017 study in 51 healthy men and women, ages 18-35, found that those who had the highest fitness levels had a firmer, more elastic hippocampus and scored the best on memory tests.

BLOOD FLOW AND THE BRAIN

Healthy blood flow is crucial to your brain—and to your whole body. It transports nutrients, including oxygen, to every cell in your body and flushes away toxins. Even though your brain, which weighs about 3 pounds, makes up only 2% of your body’s weight, it uses 20% of the oxygen and blood flow in your body.

Exciting new research in Human Brain Mapping dispels the long-held belief that our brain cells age quickly; rather, it is the blood vessels that feed our neurons that are aging faster. If you want to keep your brain healthy, your mind sharp, and your mental health strong for as long as possible, you need to protect your blood vessels.

If you keep your blood vessels healthy, you may be able to avoid not only memory loss and Alzheimer’s disease, but also a host of mental health issues (see below) as well as physical problems like high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, and erectile dysfunction, among others. You’ll also have a lot more energy and you’re less likely to be overweight.

BRAIN HEALTH PROBLEMS OF LOW BLOOD FLOW

Anything that damages your blood vessels or impairs blood flow hurts your brain. Brain SPECT imaging studies reveal that low blood flow is related to many behavioral and psychiatric issues. SPECT is a type of brain imaging study that measures the brain’s blood flow and activity. Low blood flow seen on SPECT has been seen with:

In fact, research in Nature Communications shows that low blood flow is the #1 brain imaging predictor that a person will develop Alzheimer’s disease.

11 WAYS EXERCISE PROTECTS MEMORY

Here are some of the many ways physical exercise enhances brain health and protects memory:

Helps increase the size of the hippocampus, the Holy Grail of any memory enhancement program, according to the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and several other studies.
Protects the hippocampus from stress-related hormones, like cortisol, which normally shrinks it. Even leisurely walking has been shown to increase the size of the hippocampus in women, according to findings in Hippocampus.
Stimulates the production of growth factors, such as BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factors), which nurture stem cell production.
Stimulates “neurogenesis,” the ability of the brain to generate new neurons
Decreases the formation of beta-amyloid plaque, clumps of protein found in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease, according to the Journal of Neuroscience.
Improves cognitive flexibility, as shown in 2015 research in Current Biology.
Improves mood, which is important because research shows depression has been linked to an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
Enhances insulin’s ability to lower high blood sugar levels, reducing the risk of diabetes. In some scientific journals, Alzheimer’s has been called “type 3 diabetes.”
Allows for greater detoxification through sweat, which is critical because toxins in any form damage the brain and increase the risk of memory problems and dementia.
Improves the quality of sleep. Some scientific research suggests that sleep disturbances may be a predictor of Alzheimer’s.
Improves immunity. Several studies have found immune system dysfunction in dementia.

WHICH EXERCISES ARE BEST FOR YOUR BRAIN?

Racquet sports are particularly beneficial. A 2016 study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine that followed more than 80,000 adults found that those who played tennis, table tennis, squash and other racquet sports had the lowest risk of dying during the nearly decade-long research. Swimming and aerobics are good choices, too. And if you walk, just be sure to keep up the pace to get the most benefits.

MORE WAYS TO BOOST BLOOD FLOW

In addition to physical exercise, there are many other ways to improve your blood flow, including treating high blood pressure, cholesterol, or other vascular problems, and avoiding cigarettes and caffeine, which constrict blood flow to the brain. Here are more easy, beneficial moves:

Hydrate better! Drinking at least 5 glasses of water a day could decrease your risk of hypertension
Drink more green tea
Limit salt intake
Take a good multivitamin/mineral, vitamin D, magnesium and an omega-3 EPA/DHA supplement daily
Support your memory with ginkgo biloba extract
Enjoy an ounce of dark chocolate every day (for the cocoa flavanols)
Eat more beets, green leafy vegetables, berries, pumpkin seeds, and cayenne pepper
Increase your intake of foods high in magnesium, such as avocados, nuts, and seeds
Eat more foods loaded with potassium, such as spinach and sweet potatoes
Limit alcohol, fruit juices, and sodas (including diet sodas)
Sleep 7 to 8 hours a night, and if you have sleep apnea, get it assessed and treated
Try hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), a simple, non-invasive, painless treatment with minimal side effects that use the power of oxygen to enhance the healing process. Before-and-after SPECT scans of people who have undergone HBOT reveal remarkable improvement in blood flow.

Blood flow is so important, it is the first risk factor in the Amen Clinics Memory Rescue BRIGHT MINDS Program, which identifies and treats the 11 risk factors that can steal your memory and your mind. Preventing and treating these risk factors is the best way to keep your memory sharp for the rest of your life.

We are available for in-clinic brain scanning and appointments, as well as mental telehealth, remote clinical evaluations, and video therapy. Find out more by speaking to a specialist today at 844-987-1117. If all our specialists are busy helping others, you can also schedule a time to talk.

Boost Your Blood Flow, Get Your Memory Back

3. More Small Cap History

@Charlie Bilello What happened following the 3 previous largest Russell 2000 drawdowns when the S&P 500 was at a record high?

Both indices would rally higher over the next year with the Russell 2000 outperforming and joining the S&P 500 at an all-time high…

April 7, 1999 (-19.2% Russell 2000 Drawdown): S&P 500 gained 14.3% over the next year and Russell 2000 gained 36.5%.
February 13, 1991 (-13.5% Russell 2000 Drawdown): S&P 500 gained 12.1% over the next year and Russell 2000 gained 35.5%.
January 21, 1985 (-13.3% Russell 2000 Drawdown): S&P 500 gained 17.4% over the next year and Russell 2000 gained 18.2%.

But what about the notion that “weak breadth” is a bearish signal for markets, something we heard from pundits throughout 2023?

The data simply doesn’t support that thesis. Historically, stocks have experienced above-average returns following periods of small cap underperformance (“weak breadth”) and below-average returns following periods of small cap outperformance (“strong breadth”). (see video discussion here)

4. Cyber Security ETFs Hitting All-Time Highs